1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a flotation assembly preferably, but not necessarily, in the form of a life vest of the type installed on commercial airlines. A radio frequency identification device (RFID) tag is connected to the life vest in a predetermined location which restricts physical access thereto but which allows wireless communication therewith. Informative data relating to the physical presence and maintenance condition of the life vest is stored on the RFID tags, thereby facilitating the inspection of the life vest by an appropriate reader assembly in an efficient manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Federal regulations mandate that aircraft flying over water must be provided with an appropriate flotation assembly for each passenger. As such, flotation assemblies or life preservers are typically configured to be stored underneath each of the seats within the aircraft. In doing so, the life preservers are believed to be readily accessible by the passenger, in the event of an emergency. In an attempt to further facilitate ease of access and reduce costs, a number of attempts have been made to combine seat cushions and flotation assemblies for use on boats, as well as aircraft. It being contemplated that the material from which most seat cushions are made can also serve as a life preserver. However, in a majority of commercial airline applications the required flotation assemblies are normally provided in the form of inflatable life vests structured to be at least temporarily worn by an individual in an emergency situation. More specifically, the typical life vest available on commercial airlines as well as other commercial forms of transportation include inflatable structures which are provided with a gas supply in the form of a sealed gas cylinder which, when activated, provides sufficient gas to inflate the life vest in a quick and easy manner.
Further restrictions placed on commercial carriers include a requirement for periodic inspections of the life vests, at least to the extent of assuring that an adequate number of life preservers are present and properly stored in an intended an appropriate location for passenger access. In addition, other physical characteristics of the life preservers are periodically monitored. Such characteristics include age, required or intended service and/or maintenance records and other characteristics which may affect the overall performance of the life vest under emergency conditions. Moreover, in order to comply with the federally mandated inspection procedures, conventional practice typically involves the physical examination of each of the life preservers, which in turn requires direct access thereto. Further, a physical inspection of the life preservers may typically involve a visual examination and manual reading of appropriately listed, maintenance and related data printed or otherwise made visually accessible on some exposed portion of the life preserver. Clearly, such a manual inspection procedure of the type required to be provided on commercial carriers is time consuming, burdensome and expensive.
In order to overcome such disadvantages and problems there is a recognized need in the commercial travel industry, as well as a variety of other areas, for a monitoring system which meets federal or other regulatory guidelines for performing the required inspection of flotation assemblies, specifically, but not exclusively, of the type associated with commercial airlines and other commercial carriers.
In a related area, the monitoring of a variety of different articles, products, etc. through the use of radio frequency identification devices or “RFID tags” has been applied in a variety of different industries. Moreover, various attempts to modify and/or improve tracking and inventory control have been made in an attempt to adapt tagging systems for use in a variety of different applications. Such known applications include, but are not limited to, warehouses, retail outlets, industrial manufacturing sites and other typically industrial sites where a variety of articles or products are manufactured, transported, stored, sold, etc.
A common use of RFID tags comprises the tagging of articles associated with the display of pricing information in association with the shelving of various products, such as, in retail outlets. Pricing and inventory controls are sometimes maintained through the inclusion of coded data on the tags, such as by means of barcodes, which are determinative of the identity, price, etc. of the various products. Also, it is known that RFID tags are available which have sufficient memory capabilities to store various data relating to the product or object with which it is associated and which is to be monitored. Moreover, advancement in the monitoring industry has resulted in relatively sophisticated electronic tags which demonstrate greater versatility and efficiency in terms of tracking and inventory control of a large number of articles or products. As such, commercially available RFID tags are capable of retaining and transmitting a substantial amount of information, which may be required in different applications for the purpose of performing tracking and/or monitoring requirements which may be associated with modern day transportation facilities.
Therefore, commercially available technology associated with monitoring devices specifically, but not exclusively, in the form of RFID tags are capable of wireless communication. As such, appropriate monitoring devices may be adapted for use in the commercial transportation industry and would overcome many if not all of the disadvantages and problems associated with the physical inspection of flotation assemblies of the type required to be used on commercial carriers. Further, the utilization of monitoring systems and/or devices of the type set forth herein, in combination with any of a large number of differently structured flotation assemblies, would meet regulatory requirements for inspection of flotation assemblies specifically, but not exclusively, of the type mandated for use on commercial aircraft and other commercial carriers.
The present invention is directed to a flotation assembly primarily, but not exclusively, of the type used on commercial carriers, such as commercial airlines. As is well known, federal regulations mandate if aircraft flying over water be provided with a life preserver for each passenger. As conventionally stored, such life preservers or flotation assemblies are placed underneath the seat of each passenger or otherwise in a closed proximity thereto.
Accordingly, each life preserver is readily accessible to a correspondingly position passenger in the event of an emergency. In order to assure that each passenger of a commercial airline or other carrier is provided with an operable life preserver, regulatory requirement further mandate that each life preserver be periodically inspected to determine the presence as well as the physical condition thereof. Conventionally, such inspection requirement call for a physical location and at least visual inspection of the registered, informational data maintained on a “data panel” or other indicia verifying structure which recorded the age, maintenance record and other required physical characteristics of an individual life preserver. As should be readily apparent such physical inspection of an exceedingly large number of life preservers is both time consuming, labor intensive, expensive and unfortunately less than completely reliable.